Zira Miranda Grover (Mutantry-2001)
Empress Zira Miranda Grover is the Empress of the International Alliance and a major antagonist in the D.I.T. Literary Universe. She is a beautiful and cunning conqueror who finds enjoyment in pitting her enemies against each other. Background Zira Grover was born to Jenna and Zoram Grover in the Arizona desert in 1966. Her childhood was very difficult for her and her family. Food was scarce, and her homeless family moved place to place in search of food and water. Zira's parents promised her that they would get to a more desirable climate, though they warned that this may take years to accomplish. Zira spent much of her time gathering food. In 1974, a desert traveler located them, and Zira helped him get to her family's tent to offer him shelter. They quickly bonded over this time together. The man also told her all about the city. This ultimately led Zira to think that life would be easier in the public spotlight. Three years later, a police squad found the Grovers by coincidence and, while keeping the fate of her parents confidential from even Zira, offered to raise her as a guaranteed future politician. After everything, Zira could not resist the opportunity to begin climbing the political ladder. Personality Zira Miranda Grover was cruel, calculating, greedy, unforgiving, and adept at bending others to her will. She was extremely ambitious and intelligent, effectively destabilizing and destroying the world governments and secretly assisting Mr. Stupid NoHead, the Dark Lord, who was doing likewise, while creating the International Alliance under his nose. As a politician scheming for absolute dictatorship, Zira grew to become a woman who lived in service to her ideals and, as she saw it, tirelessly endeavoring to fulfill her vision of the solar system. Though extremely competitive with her fellow Alliance members, Zira believed that they held a special place in the world as they were superior beings compared to other lifeforms. Zira was extremely clever and composed, as well as an extremely persuasive orator who also used her soft, gentle demeanor, incredible physical beauty, and ability to work well with small children to help convince the public to take her side. Zira had a phenomenal command of the art of public speaking, allowing her to mystify and emotionally move her audiences, allies and enemies alike, inspiring fanatical loyalty with each word, and gaining widespread following for her cause, followers whom she affectionately referred to as her "brothers and sisters" and called herself the "servant" of the solar system. When appearing in front of an audience, Zira was treated as a revered celebrity, as was expected of someone with her charisma. Another mark of her exceptional leadership skills and cunning is shown by her taking note of and acting on countless opportunities others tend not to notice. For example, she was very quick to accept the services of a shady dealer like Cedric and a teenage orphan like Corey, as she quickly deduced just how much she could gain from them. Zira was introverted to a certain extent, as she preferred to be alone, where she could have peace and quiet and wear her more comfortable rubber top. She rarely appeared in public and was extremely strict regarding who was allowed in her Palace. Nevertheless, she was occasionally surrounded by friends and relished being the center of attention, and consistently threw huge parties at her Palace. As a result of once living in squalor and poverty, she found obsession with her power and wealth. Her lust for power was as insatiable as her lust for food. Zira was very gluttonous and put a lot of energy into eating. She almost always ate comfort foods, this lack of dietary balance coupled with her sedentary nature resulted in her body growing inhumanly obese. While Zira always appeared to be calm, peaceful, charming, and beautiful, she had the heart of a true sociopath. Being unbelievably cold and calculating, she considered herself to be above the morality that was perceived by "lesser" beings. Nevertheless, the Empress did not try to justify her cruel actions, at least after becoming the dictator, as doing so was a sign of hypocrisy which she utterly despised. Instead, she did everything as part of her laws and customs without pretending that she was a bastion of morality unless it was absolutely necessary. She showed no mercy to her enemies and rivals, often killing or imprisoning them. She did scream and attempt to have her Beast avenged after he was killed by Wes Bomee and Vincent Organa. It is likely, though, that she was furious about the loss of a very powerful and talented gladiator, rather than truly missing the Beast as a pet. When she was far younger, she had several thugs brought to her to be sentenced to death, as they had angered her by killing her guards, but again it is unlikely she actually felt any sentiment for any of her deceased minions. A sedentary and immensely obese woman, Zira despised physical labor and combat, preferring to leave such duties to her men or her slaves. She had absolutely no problem with her massive weight gain and actually enjoyed the various effects that her bloated yet well-shaped body had on her personalized servants. Zira was used to having her guards do her physical tasks for her. This does not necessarily mean that she was unarmed, as a true sign of her astounding intelligence, Zira kept a hidden laser cannon inside her throne but only put it to use in emergencies when events spiraled out of her control. Such actions demonstrate that Zira tended to prefer her actions to be conducted by her proxies and rarely ever leave the safety of her stronghold. Any foes that seek to fight against her had to do so under their enemy's own terms, thus facing traps, barriers and various minions. A true sadist, Zira was interested in acquiring dangerous animals, gladiator robots, and human executioners and used them as amusement by sending her enemies against the fighters while she gleefully observed. Zira, however, found a preference to use her Beast for every execution that transpired in her Palace, after the skirmish that resulted in Trudy's demise. Indeed, she was not used to being in the midst of a chaotic battle and having her life threatened in the middle of immense chaos was enough to traumatize her, such as when DL09 rampaged across the Palace or when Summer Petersen beat her in the head. Despite her self-centered, psychopathic, and overall maniacal nature, Zira was still fairly generous towards lower lifeforms that served her ably. She preferred to hire those who had a criminal record, such as Marina, or for another reason had nowhere else to go, such as Corey. Additionally, Zira had shown a softer side as evident when she was overjoyed at the return of her baby and refused to kill his savior, Summer Petersen, after she conspired against her. Zira cared about and respected family, to a certain extent, despite having never had a good relationship with her parents. Likewise, she also seemed to contain some empathy to other people’s love, as seen when she allowed a Senator, who arrived to find his daughters, to present evidence and arrest the bounty hunter responsible for their disappearance after the Senator reminded her of her love for her own son. She also expressed regret when Helen McKeen implied that she thought her relationship with Zira was based on a debt, not on friendship. She had a measure of fondness for her, being confident that she would defeat Cedwell, though she was upset when she suspected Helen had participated in Eegan’s kidnapping and placed a bounty on her head. Sometimes she was open-minded and surprisingly gentle, such as when she let all her guards play at the beach while Taylor Carter and Corey took care of her on their own, a thought which actually made her happy. Zira’s hobbies were watching television, resting, eating junk food, and watching dances from the comfort of her throne. These she usually did in her rubber top. Zira is also known to smoke weed. She even attempted to make it legal. However, she only did this during her political campaign, and since she did not lift the ban after becoming Empress, it is clear she did this merely to get on people's good sides, even though she smoked it herself. Zira had a dark sense of humor, as most of her jokes were at the expense of others. She would often respond to threats with such humor or with dry sarcasm. She also possessed an unhealthy lust for several teenagers of both genders, which proves she is bisexual and perverted, traits that seemed to rub off on Marina. However, this lust turned out to be her downfall when she was pounded out by Summer Petersen. Physical appearance Zira Grover was described as being beautiful but obese. As a desert monk she was thin and wore green and red rags. When she was thirteen years of age, she only weighed 38 kilograms. But during her rise to power she rarely exercised and had food of plenty. As President she was overweight, having weighed 86 kilograms in 1979. However, as Empress she never, ever exercised. Her throne guided her around her palace, and while she sat in comfort, eating sweets and gaining weight, her guards did all her physical tasks. Now she had blonde, long hair, blue, gleaming eyes, and a huge, tightly bloated midriff. As a result of her guards doing her physical tasks and never exercising, she had no stomach muscles and was exceptionally wimpy. Although she usually wore her robes of state, she let herself open in private, wearing a tight rubber top and short underwear of rubber that exposed her midriff and arms. Her corpulent belly and lack of muscle were both results of her eating sweets constantly, as well as nine meals a day made entirely of junk food. Although Zira was 185 centimeters tall, her expanding stomach stretched her to 213 centimeters eventually. She was defenseless on her own, instead relying on numerous henchmen, servants, slaves, and pawns to get what she wanted. Zira's beauty was unconventional and her body, coupled with her charisma, attracted a certain amount of boys, including Corey, who loved her at first sight mostly due to her physical aspects and what he had heard about her. Zira never suffered from zits or diabetes. This was due to natural body functions, not special medical treatment. When she and Corey conceived Eegan Grover, Zira weighed 630 kilograms. By the end of her pregnancy, she weighed 703 kilograms. During the Battle at the Cave of the Gargoyle she weighed 885 kilograms, and she weighed 1002 kilograms when she died in 2032. Her Body Mass Index was 98.3. It was 292.8 when she died. Powers and abilities The majority of Zira's remarkable abilities are mental strengths, she is far from physically fit. She can barely move around and is defenseless on her own, instead relying on numerous henchmen and slaves to get what she wants. Powers Mind Control: Zira Miranda Grover possessed an unbelievable intellect and was unbelievably talented and phenomenally accomplished in mind control. She placed Roxanne Waterston and Barack Obama under mind control strong enough to control the two politicians for several years, and any attempts on their parts to resist proved to be futile. She could think three times faster than an average person, and extend her attention to three different areas of focus with equal concentration, as long as she remained in control of her emotions. This bolstered her powers of mind control so she could focus on the inner workings of two very complex minds simultaneously and still focus on her own affairs. Zira's mutantry combined with her insaitable thirst for knowledge allowed her to refine her intellectual aptitude to the highest degree. Former Powers Physical Aptitude: When she was younger, Zira's experience in wilderness survival allowed her to survive by hunting and foraging in the desert with her family. However, her sedentary and gluttunous lifestyle significantly reduced her strength and agility. Abilities *'Genius Intellect': Zira was not only a mighty and feared ruler, but also possessed an incredible intellect, as she advanced quickly in any necessary educational fields on her way to becoming Empress. Her intellect is evidenced by her strategic schemes for the throne. Zira's mutantry combined with her insaitable thirst for knowledge allowed her to refine her intellectual aptitude to the highest degree, making her quite possibly the most intelligent being in the universe. **'Master Tactician': Zira Grover is extremely sophisticated and calculating, often thinking several clever strategies. **'Master Manipulator': Zira held an immensely strong talent for accumulation of power and its exertion of it on others along with the manipulation of other beings, she was arguably better at this than anyone else who ever attempted it due to her complex mindset. Even at a young age, she displayed remarkable talent for the manipulation of others, being able to gain the trust of every political power in the world as a teenager. Even in later years, she was considered charming by most people who met her, and was able to inspire many people to follow her. As an adult, her skills in manipulation grew even further, successfully convincing many individuals to join her cause, although Zira also used tricks, blackmail, and a number of shady crimes to get people to join her. **'Expert Social Intuit': Although an isolated and impoverished child, throughout her teenage years Zira Miranda Grover developed a high degree of social confidence, allowing her to intuitively determine how to interact with others, gain their respect and get her point across with a calmness, eloquence, and charisma that belie her malevolence, megalomania, bloodthirst, and actual emotional state. Hence, Zira appealed to the government's trust by financially supporting different branches, diplomatically addressed several powerful women in regards to the creation the International Alliance, politely addressing Zygen with a proposition, successfully appealed to the bitter Sammy Salaraga despite the latter's antics including the theft of her expensive food. When January, who was already traumatized by the abuse her slavers inflicted, watched Zira kill them, the Empress acted as though nothing had happened and greeted her cordially, and January became very intrigued by her ideals and followed her to her comfortable limousine and let her guard down severely, intent to continue a further discussion. She was mentioned to carry an overwhelming air of confidence. Additionally, her decreasing insecurity about her girthy belly caused her to react more playfully and less defensively when people mentioned her weight. As a result, Zira remains extremely well-respected not only by high-ranking members of the International Alliance (especially Zygen and, in the alternate timeline, the Charger) and political and criminal allies, but even by the politicians at the government she orchestrated the mutilation of. *'Leadership Skills': Even when she was young, Zira was already a very effective leader, as she was able to lead the members of the International Alliance to effectively sneak past surveillance, being responsible for several nasty incidences that were never connected to them, showing that even at a young age, Zira was a very competent leader. As she grew older, fatter, and more powerful, and gained more experience in leading and thus honed leadership skills further, Zira's style of leadership changed from the original charismatic rule of the International Alliance to the tyrannical and completely ruthless - though no less highly effective - command of the entire world through her subordinates. Weaknesses *'Corpulence': The majority of Zira's remarkable abilities are mental strengths, not physical ones. Due to her lifestyle of feasting and her lack of exercise, Zira Miranda Grover was lacking in physical strength, agility, and durability. She can barely move around and is defenseless on her own, instead relying on numerous henchmen and slaves to get what she wants. By the time Eegan Grover was born, Zira had soft muscles, tender skin, and a considerable girth. However, she made up for this with her mental powers and by always ensuring she was protected by many henchmen and technological barriers. *'Overconfidence': Zira Miranda Grover's other main weakness is her overconfidence and arrogance (stemming from her megalomania and god complex), with her even going so far as to claim that she doesn't know how to lose. Hence, after an undisclosed amount of time of having Summer as her servant, Zira thought she had made good progress in breaking the resilient General, and looked forward to teaching her. She would thus be shocked by Summer’s violent revolt against her on the limousine during the Battle at the Gargoyle Cave. Summer took advantage of the resulting confusing to take poetic revenge on her captor, strangling her with the chain she had used to keep her from escaping the car. When she had first captured her, Summer had threatened her that she would live to regret it, and she fully kept her word. Development Zira Miranda Grover was created by D. Isaac Thomas, the creator of the Boys vs. Girls trilogy, but was known only as the Queen until her identification with Eegan Grover. The 2013 anthology of short stories Tales of Royalty explored the lives and backstories of the patrons of her court, revealing that many of them were plotting to kill her. Appearances ''The Super Babies: Book III: Revenge of Hell Burnbottom Boys vs. Girls: The Rise of the Serpent Boys vs. Girls: The Fate of the Towers Sebiscuits Cardarphen: Knightfall The X-Children: The Return of the Verasect Later that year, Zira realized that Claire Julian was still alive and had been barricading herself in one of the bedchambers ever since the Battle at the Cave of the Gargoyle. Amused, Zira had Jim Newman use the override code on Claire’s door to break in and drag her out and before Zira. However, she was so taken by the girl’s massive body that she declared no punishment would be enacted. Julian was subjected to precisely what she had dreaded — becoming Zira's personalized servant once again. Zira had one of her servants steal a suit since the tailor had made his escape to freedom a long time ago. Claire Julian eventually escaped with the help of an S.M.S.B. squadron who raided Zira’s Palace shortly after Zira was killed by Hell Burnbottom and was taken to the Medical Chamber in the MBH, becoming a close friend to Lindsay Kellerman, who would often visit Julian while she was being treated in the hospital. She told Master Intelligence she had become quiet fond of her. In response, Julian, who had taken to practicing her telekinesis on two toys, waved at him. Before The SMSB: Why Has The Storm Ceased? During a particularly bad drought in Arizona, Zira began collecting a hefty water tax from local farmers. This earned her thugs an unpleasant encounter with Sheriff Bladepoint, who had conveniently encountered Leslie Amadeus. When Amadeus attempted to steal the thugs' collections for the day, they caught and threatened to kill her. It was at that moment that Bladepoint took down the thugs with the Light. Under cover of darkness, the gangsters were unable to identify Bladepoint. Most displeased with her loss of tax revenue, Zira hired the bounty hunter Blue Garantan to track down and identify the Sheriff. Boys vs. Girls 2 Second Battle of Tower Placement When Natalia Thornton hired the Sensei's team members to assist in the capture of Helen McKeen, Zira Miranda Grover immediately saw her chance to obtain Helen and fulfill the promise that Helen would become her slave. For the task, she insisted that B-490 and Ariana interfere. She also enlisted Xydarone IV, who was trying to get the bounty for McKeen by bringing the girl to the Empress. As another measure to recapture McKeen, she dispatched hundreds of soldiers to Tower Placement School, they arrived in the middle of the Second Battle of Tower Placement. Summer Petersen called Zira on the phone, telling her this final drastic measure was madness, but Zira didn't listen, though she claimed Petersen was "gorgeous" and "admirably bloated" making her lust for her in spite of her weight gain somewhat apparent. Arrival of Helen McKeen Having been at unfriendly terms with Helen McKeen, the Empress was greatly pleased with Helen’s delivery by Xydarone IV. On Zira’s orders, McKeen was chained to a seat on the other side of the throne room. Xydarone would continue to stay in Zira's court for the remainder of the time McKeen was her captive. In the mix, Zira found a new personalized servant in the form of Thomas Carter. The boy had been trained by Jim Newman and Jerry, so they could present him to their boss. Rather than the customary dancing veils, Thomas was given only a black tank top with no designs. Zira was immediately enamored with him, and chained him by the waist to her throne as her slave. Carter was forced to dance for her, as well as give comfort and pleasure when the Empress beckoned, but he was determined to escape from his horrible existence. Thomas Carter chose to refuse Zira Grover’s advances at least once before his final dance, and was thoroughly beaten by her guards for this act of defiance. This beating was conducted “scientifically”, so as not to leave him with any disfiguring bruises. Seven months later, she also acquired Natalia Thornton, disguised as a dancer named Erica Chamberlain. A message, a deception, and a capture Despite Zira Miranda Grover's victory over Helen, the Boy-Team wanted Helen back, and to do so, they concocted an elaborate plan. First, Anakin Organa went to Zira with a message. Passing the guards, the mind-tricked Taylor Carter delivered Anakin’s message, asking to bargain for Helen. Bemused, Zira rejected the offer. Despite the aforementioned event being spoken of by Anakin, and her voice being heard on Summer's phone, Zira does not make a physical appearance until Summer Petersen breaches the Palace, disguised as Xydarone V, and speaks with Thomas Carter, who is sleeping by her side. When Summer enters the Death Pit, she realizes Zira has ordered her guards to murder Thomas Carter. "Xydarone" demands she turn over Carter on her mother's orders. Zira immediately recognizes her voice as that of Summer Petersen and lets Carter go, relishing the idea of taking everything she wants from a girl like Petersen. "Xydarone V" privately unmasks herself and sent him to Organa. Having no idea that Zira was aware of it, Petersen remains in the Palace, waiting for evening. Capturing Summer Petersen Later that night, Summer, no longer disguised, freed Helen McKeen from her chains. However, Zira, who had been warned by a guard that something like this may happen. However, this annoyed her as she already knew of it, and she went to sleep for the night. After she caught them redhanded, she revealed that she knew it was Petersen all along. McKeen tried to bargain with the monarch, saying that she was sidetracked and Cedwell would not elude her much longer, but Zira said it was too late. McKeen was put in a cell while Petersen was taken as Zira’s new personalized servant. Zira was finally ready to prepare Petersen to become her future successor. A few hours later, Zira forced Petersen to wear a skimpy top studded with jewels, but then she had her taken back to the stalls to change into a new dress. But just as Petersen returned to the throne room, the Empress came to suspect that a birdlike humanoid was in her Palace. She sent two guards to investigate, to no avail. Afterwards, she decided that Petersen would wear her dress on special occasions, but usually she would wear her top. Petersen eventually changed back into her top and was kept on Zira's large throne next to the Empress. Zira also forbade Marina from antagonizing her. Eventually, Black came and took Petersen to be reconditioned. When they returned, Zira was excited and treated Petersen with a renewed vigor. Before they fell asleep that night, Zira finally told Petersen that she would become her successor, an idea which her servant was disgusted by. Death of the Beast Neither Zira and Summer could sleep for long, so Petersen took to playing from on Zira's throne while Zira stuffed herself with candy. At that point, Anakin Organa finally arrived at Zira’s Palace. Zira, who was wearing a robe over a rubber bikini, angrily and briefly tortured Petersen since she thought she had contacted someone for help. Upon arriving and pushing Jim Newman away from Petersen, Anakin demanded the return of Helen and Summer, warning that Zira would be destroyed if she didn’t comply. After Anakin knocked all of Zira's guards unconscious, Zira caused the young Jedi to ascend up a suction field, into the Death Pit, the lair of Zira’s monster. The monster emerged. After being hurled against a metal grate, Anakin convinced the Beast that he was not its enemy. An administrator named Wes Bomee fired a turret into the Beast's head, killing the monster. Natalia Thornton was present at Zira’s Palace, disguised as the dancing girl Erica Chamberlain, planning to kill Anakin. However, a particularly loyal guard suspected her of being out to assassinate the Queen and attempted to have her imprisoned, despite failing this she had made it impossible for Natalia to complete her mission. Battle at the Cave of the Gargoyle An enraged Zira Miranda Grover stated that Helen McKeen and Anakin Organa were to be taken to the Cave of the Gargoyle, to be fed to the fearsome gargoyle. Only Summer was spared from execution as Zira liked her and had other plans for her. Before Zira and her entourage departed, Zira had Wes Bomee executed for killing her Beast. Along with said entourage, the Empress traveled aboard her limousine, while the prisoners were carried to their doom on a smaller skiff. On the way, Summer attempted to watch the proceedings out of the window, but Zira would not allow it and boasted that she would soon learn to appreciate her. Later, once they reached the pit, Zira offered the prisoners a chance to beg for mercy. Anakin warned Zira once more, but the queen ignored the offer and ordered them to be thrown in. Just as Anakin was to be thrown to the gargoyle, Helen McKeen tossed Anakin’s laser sword. Anakin immediately launched an attack against the guards, causing a state of panic to break out onboard the limo as Zira ordered her guards to stop Anakin. Taylor prepared to follow them, but Zira beckoned him to stay. As the Armies of Organa descended onto the scene, three members infiltrated the limousine, throwing a spear at Zira, which she caught in her hand. A guard took it from her and used it to kill Zira's assailants. After witnessing Xydarone IV's death, Zira began squirming roughly in anger, and her shirt tore slightly. Taylor Carter asked her if she was all right. Confirming this, Zira ordered the guards to redouble their fire on the van. Summer Petersen caught Zira off-balance by touching her bare abdomen and whispering soft yet passive-aggressive words to her, before unexpectedly hurling a fallen spear at the Empress and pounding her head until Zira fell unconscious. Believing Zira to have died, Summer ceased her assault. Boys vs. Girls 2 Prelude'' Zira appears in this installment of the D.I.T. Literary Universe. Diet Zira Grover placed considerable energy into eating and her own weight gain. Indeed, she spends just about as much time eating her favorite foods as she does on her Imperial dealings or indulging in her slaves. Although Zira still consumes nine meals a day, she also has adopted a liftestyle of perpetual snacking, in which the obese Empress would always have her food within easy reach. At her current age, the Empress had become so grossly fat that she had planted her immobile body onto her throne, where she could continue to rule her empire directly and still indulge in her gluttonous ways. Relationships Gallery Zira-BVG4.jpg Zirarubbertop.jpg References Category:Boys vs. Girls characters Category:Characters Category:Adults Category:Obese characters Category:Antagonists Category:Royalty Category:Grover family Category:1960s births Category:Females Category:2030s deaths Category:Politicians Category:Geniuses Category:Villains Category:Emperors Category:Mutants Category:Parents Category:American characters Category:LGBT characters Category:U.S. Government characters